GB: I Have Your Back
by WayWardWonderer
Summary: Peter is very sick. He's also very stubborn and refuses to admit how ill he really is. Egon, Ray and Winston keep an eye on him but when a bust gets to be too much it gets to be too much for Peter as well. Fortunately this team was founded by friends who brave any danger to help one of their own before anyone gets seriously hurt.


Stretched out across the couch in front of the small TV, Peter alone watched a cheesy B-movie from the 1960's on a grainy screen in the dark. The other Ghostbusters had gone to bed earlier in the evening but Peter couldn't get comfortable in his bed and he was still too riled up after the Class-5 bust the group of four had dealt with that same afternoon. Not only did the troublesome ghost give the four men a true run for their money by prolonging the chase, but it fought back violently.

Ray and Peter took the brunt of the punishment when the ghost threw them both through a section of drywall, but neither man stayed down for the count. Just a few scratches and bruises were the only sign of their struggle against the ghost.

Turning from his side onto his back Peter winced in pain that suddenly tightened in his abdomen.

"Ow..." He put his hand to his sore abdomen and tucked his other arm under his head like a pillow. "We don't get paid enough to run around and get slammed into walls." Shutting his eyes Peter tried to finally drift off to sleep, letting the nameless movie playing on the TV screen to provide a flickering white noise. "Tomorrow, I'm going to ask for a raise."

Unfortunately the night wasn't as restful as Peter had hoped. Regardless of how he tried to lay on the couch he simply couldn't get comfortable enough on the couch to drift off to sleep. Sitting upright on the couch, keeping one hand on his abdomen, Peter leaned forward and sighed deeply. The sickening taste of bile was fresh in his mouth which of course was all he needed on top of his restlessness.

"Great. The last thing I need is a stomach bug." Rising from the worn out couch Peter made his way back upstairs toward the large washroom connected to the bunk room.

Creeping through the room as quietly as possible as to not wake his sleeping colleagues, Peter made his way into the washroom and shut the door with a soft click. The sound of Ray's snoring and the even breathing of his sleeping friends made Peter feel envious if not bitter.

"Wish _I_ could sleep through anything." He griped as he put his hand on the mirror of the medicine cabinet. "Whoa!" He caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the mirror and put a hand to the side of his face. "I need to get some sleep. I look like I've seen a ghost!"

Peter's face was pale with the exception of the dark circles forming under his tired, red strained eyes. There was also a fine sheen across his skin from the fine layer of sweat that had built up over the night.

"Good thing Egon keeps the medicine cabinet stocked." Opening the cabinet Peter grabbed the bottle of PM medicine that double as a pain reliever. "Perfect."

Downing two pills with a glass of water from the sink Peter wiped the sticky sweat from his face and turned off the light in the washroom. Returning to the bunk room he silently and blindly made his way to own bed and laid down on top of the covers. It wasn't long before the medicine kicked in and he found himself finally dozing off into an, albeit, fitful sleep.

"Peter?" Egon's voice somehow seemed distant to Peter's ears.

"What do you want... Egon?" Peter was only partially awake but even in this time between awake and asleep he was painfully aware of how slurred his own words sounded as he spoke. He was also vaguely aware of Egon's hand jostling his shoulder. "I'm sleeping..."

"I know." Egon's curt reply sounded closer. "You've been asleep for eleven hours and twenty-three minutes."

"I've been..." Peter forced his heavy eyelids open only to be greeted by a blurry vision of his friend standing over him. "How long?" He asked as he sat upright on his bed, only to be greeted with nausea and violent dizzy spell. "Whoa..." He pressed a hand to his face as he begged for his stomach to settle.

"Don't move too quickly." Egon instructed as he wrapped his fingers around Peter's wrist to measure a pulse. "How long have you been feeling ill?"

"I'm not-" Peter pressed his hand over his mouth as his stomach churned violently and threatened to expel whatever contents it still contained all over the floor.

Egon watched as the color drained from Peter's face. "Come on." Putting his hands under Peter's arms Egon was able to lift his friend from the bed and guide him to the washroom.

Peter would never admit it but he was very grateful for Egon looking after him and helping him find his way to the washroom before he was sick all over himself and the rest of the room. Kneeling down in front of the toilet Peter begrudgingly threw up into the porcelain receptacle. Using his own hands to support himself as the violent muscle spasms tore at his abdomen he felt a hand press against his forehead and another against his back for additional support.

"Th-thanks!" Peter managed to spit out before another bout of vomiting. His left hand wrapping protectively around his pained abdomen that was now on fire from the involuntary muscle contractions that began squeezing him. "Ouch..."

"Don't talk, just let it out." Egon encouraged as he looked away from the toilet and stared at the wall. "You'll feel a lot better when it's all over."

"Easy for you to say..." He gasped as his stomach finally finished emptying itself. Putting his free hand to his mouth Peter wiped away the excess saliva running down his chin and then wiped his hand off on his pants.

Egon helped Peter to slowly stand back up and regain his balance. Every muscle in Peter's body was trembling from the uncomfortable experience. Weak and dizzy he fumbled around the washroom as he tried to guide himself over to the sink with only one hand as his other was still pressed firmly to his abdomen.

"Did you take any medication in the past twenty-four hours?" Egon asked as he turned on the faucet of the sink.

"Yeah... Two pills." Peter's answered weakly as he stuck his hands under the running water flowing into the sink. "Knocked me out."

"And then some." Egon commented as he finally took his hand from Peter's forehead. "You're running a fever, I'd estimate it at 101.7 degrees."

"You... estimate?" Peter cupped his hand under the water and swallowed a mouthful just long enough to rinse the taste from his mouth before spitting it out.

"The thermometer is currently being used in an experiment revolving around mood slime and temperature differentials. Estimation is all I have for the moment."

"Great. Makes me feel a lot better."

"Come on. You need to rest." Egon attempted to guide Peter back into the bunk room. "I'll make you a doctor's appoint-"

"Egon, I'm fine." Peter pushed Egon's hands away as he stood up straight in front of the sink. "It's just a cold."

"I don't think so." Egon eyed Peter's hand pressing against his own abdomen. "I believe you are suffering from more than just a cold."

"I'll be fine." Peter dismissed the concerns as nothing more than over protection. "I just need a good night's sleep and I'll be better by morning."

Egon shook his head with doubt as he watched Peter clumsily walk back into the bunk room.

Stumbling to his bed Peter slowly laid back down on top of the covers and shut his eyes. Through a weary pained breath he did his best to relax and ignore the throbbing in his side. Unfortunately he wasn't able to hide the pain as well as he thought.

Egon sat on his own bed next to Peter's. "Are you in any pain?"

"I've had worse."

Egon reached out a hand to check Peter's abdomen."Is it localized specifically to-"

"Stop." Peter grabbed Egon's hand and gently pushed it away. "I was thrown through a wall yesterday, _and_ I just threw up. I'm going to be a tad sore for a while, alright?"

Egon wasn't convinced but he decided it was best to not to push the matter any further and let Peter be. "Try to get some rest. I'll bring you some water and something light to eat. You need to keep your fluids up."

"Thanks mom." Peter teased as he draped his arm over his eyes to block out the afternoon light.

"I'll check on you soon." Egon reluctantly left the bunk room and walked downstairs.

In the main office on the first floor Ray was busily making adjustments to the paragoggles on the desk. A small cut on his brow had been bandaged up the night before and stood out boldly against his dark hairline. Winston was checking under the hood of Ecto-1 with a wrench in one hand and a flashlight in the other.

Once Egon set foot on the first floor Winston looked up and addressed the mentally preoccupied physicist. "Hey Egon, is Peter awake yet?" Winston grabbed an old red rag from the nearby opened toolbox and began wiping grease from his hands off into the fabric. "It's almost three in the afternoon!"

"He was awake." Egon confirmed as he wrung his hands together anxiously. "But he's resting again. He's ill."

"Peter's sick?" Ray asked worriedly as he looked up from the paragoggles. "Is it serious?"

Egon nodded his head. "I believe so, he's running a fever of almost 102. Peter on the other hand believes his current ailment to be nothing more than a common cold."

Winston was now getting worried just from the tone of Egon's voice. "What do you think it is?"

"I can't be sure but I fear his condition is more severe than he'd care to admit. The problem is I'm not a doctor, nor do any of us have access to any proper medical equipment that can either confirm or deny my suspected diagnosis."

"Don't worry Egon," Ray pressed his two forefingers to his bandaged brow. "if anyone can take a beating and keep on kicking it's Peter."

Winston agreed enthusiastically. "He's right. We'll keep an eye on him though." Tossing aside the rag Winston looked toward the TV that was still on, long after Peter retreated to the second floor from the previous night. "So, since Peter is down for the night and we're all still worn out from yesterday, why don't we just order in and watch a movie?"

Ray gave a nod of approval as he set aside his paragoggles. "Great idea Winston! I'll go order a pizza." As picked up the phone he had an even better idea. "Two. No, three! Three pizzas, I'm starving."

Egon noted the time and decided to check in with Peter. "I'm going to get some water for Peter, maybe some soup too. I'm also retrieving the thermometer from the slime pods, which means the experiment will have to be put on temporary hiatus." Disappearing into the small kitchen alone Egon began rummaging through the cupboards.

Ray placed the order and hung up the phone. "Give it about thirty minutes."

"Hey Ray, you think Peter will really be okay?" Winston had been discreetly watching Egon's body language knowing that the always composed, stoic scientist kept his emotions well masked. "I haven't seen Egon so preoccupied since the confrontation with Vigo."

"If it serious," Ray rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he rose from behind the desk. "then Egon will be on top of it. But if there's one thing I've learned in all the years I've known our dear Dr. Spengler it's that he can't just sit idle when something unusual is brewing, and I'd say Peter laying down and being quiet all afternoon is _very_ unusual."

Exiting the kitchen with a tray with a small bottle of medicine, a bowl of soup and a glass of water in his hands Egon returned to the bunk room without a word.

Winston shook his head. "Hope you're right. I don't know how it'll work out if something bad does happen to Peter."

Upstairs Egon sat the try down on the nightstand beside Peter's bed. Sitting again on his own bed beside Peter's Egon put his hand the sleeping man's shoulder and gently shook him awake. "Peter, wake up."

Groggily Peter opened his glassy eyes and looked at Egon with utter confusion. "Egon? Something wrong?" Peter's hair and his pillow were soaked with sweat. The underarms and the chest of his white t-shirt were also soaked through with the copious amount of sweat, which left Peter shivering from cold.

"No, nothing is wrong. But I do want you to drink some water and I would like a more accurate temperature reading if you don't mind."

"If I cooperate will you let me sleep?"

"Yes, I will leave you alone to sleep. Deal?"

"Deal."

Egon handed Peter the glass of water. "Here." But the sickly man was too tired to grab onto the glass. "Can you sit up?"

Peter attempted to sit up, but failed. "It's fine, I don't want to throw up again anyway."

"Wait a moment." Putting his hand under Peter's shoulders Egon lifted his ill friend up into a sitting position and helped him to guide the glass of water to his lips. "Try again."

Peter groaned in pain through clenched teeth as the simple motion of sitting up was almost too much to endure.

"Small sips, don't choke."

Peter greedily drank down the water, oblivious as to how thirsty had become since being sick and vomiting up everything he had in his system. "Thanks."

"Open." Egon held up the thermometer and watched Peter's eyes focus on the instrument warily. "It has been cleaned and sterilized. Open please."

Peter opened his mouth and let Egon place the device between his teeth.

"You're perspiring at an excessive rate." Egon noted as he waited for the appropriate sixty seconds for the thermometer to gain an accurate reading. "Are you still in pain?"

"A little." Peter lied, his words mumbled by the thermometer hanging out of his mouth. "But I can take it."

"It's not about your threshold for pain Peter, it's about the severity in which you're suffering."

"Egon, stop worrying." He subconscious pressed his hand back to the same spot on his abdomen. "I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"I have my doubts." Egon replied coldly. "Alright, let's check your temperature." Removing the device Egon checked the final reading and a flash of concern gleamed in his eyes. "You're temperature is 102.6."

"I hate that radio station."

"Not funny Peter. This is serious."

"So am I, I _seriously_ hate that station! They never play _anything_ good."

"Look, we're not going out tonight so we're going to take shifts keeping an eye on you. If you're fever elevates any higher I'm taking you to the hospital."

"But I hate hospitals."

"And I hate funerals." Egon took the small pill bottle from the tray and poured two small white pills into his hand. "Take these."

The response caught Peter off guard. Realizing how worried Egon truly was Peter chose to stop resisting and finally take the situation seriously. "Okay, Egon. I'll be good."

"Sleep." Egon helped Peter slide back down onto the bed. "If you think you can keep something down I brought some soup as well."

"Won't it get cold?"

"If you're going to throw it back up, will it matter?"

"Touche." Peter always loved having his little 'bouts' with Egon. He always gave great responses.

"I'll be back in an hour, hopefully the fever will have begun to break by then." Egon chose to take his leave knowing that Peter was still coherent and now had some fluids back in his system. "If you need anything we're all downstairs."

"Hey Egon?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." As he walked down the stairs he had one last thought. "He thanked me, he must be sicker than I thought."

Ray and Winston were sitting on the couch and flipping through the channels looking for some movie that looked interesting but couldn't seem to find anything that looked good.

Ray heard Egon's footsteps as he walked down the stairs. Looking over the back of the couch Ray asked about Peter. "How's he doing?"

"Running a fever and is very lethargic." Egon sat down stood behind the couch and watched as Winston flipped through the many channels on the TV. "He was able to drink some water and I got him to take some medication to deal with the fever. But if his temperature doesn't drop soon or increases then I'm taking him in to see a doctor."

There was a swift knock on the front door which caught Winston's ear. "I'll get it."

Ray leaned forward on the couch toward Egon. "You're really worried about him."

Egon only nodded.

"Exactly what is it do you think he-"

"Hey fellas!" Winston rushed back into the garage area and interrupted Ray mid question. "This dude says he just witnesses a major disturbance at the public library. He said it was so bad that he evacuated the entire building! Then he ran off..."

"Wow!" Ray was on his feet in a rush of adrenaline. "Maybe the Gray Lady has returned!"

"Doubt it Ray." Egon's was immediately drawn into the conversation. "She was taken care of when we dealt with the spirit of Ivo Shandor. It's unlikely that she'd return to the library."

"Maybe there was something we missed," Ray suggested with a childlike enthusiasm. "maybe there's something else connected to Shandor that we missed!"

Winston folded his arms and sighed. "We're going to look into it, aren't we?"

"We have to! All those poor people have been scared out of their minds, we have to help!"

"What about Peter?" Winston was more concerned with the well being of their colleague than a group of people trying to read. "He might be too sick to leave."

"You're right." Egon agreed with Winston while looking back up the staircase to the second floor. "But we can't leave-"

"Don't worry about it Spengz." Peter was walking down the stairs, one hand still pressed to his abdomen. "I'm going with you."

"You can't go, you're sick!" Ray was against the decision and easily sided with Egon and Winston.

"Well I sure as hell can't sleep when you're down here yelling and getting all worked up."

"Oh... sorry."

Egon met Peter at the bottom of the staircase. "You alright? You still look terrible."

"Good, I still feel terrible. Hate for it to be all in vain."

Egon put his hands on Peter's shoulders and studied the ailing man's face. "You shouldn't be walking around, let alone chasing after a ghost."

"Well, too bad. It's my job." Peter lifted Egon's hands away from his shoulders. "And the sooner we check out the library the sooner I can get back to bed."

Ray stepped up and offered his own observation on the situation. "You're not going to stay behind, are you?"

"Do I ever?"

Winston answered for everyone. "Nope."

"So let's get going." Peter walked over toward Ecto-1 on shaky legs. "I'll drive."

Ray looked over at Winston who took the car keys from his pocket and shown them to everyone in the room. "No he's not."

"Spoil sport." Peter whined as he leaned against the car.

Egon wasn't happy that Peter was so insistent. He also knew that Peter wasn't going to stay behind and that he shouldn't be alone. "Let's get going. We shouldn't be wasting any time."

Switching out of their normal clothing into their jumpsuits the four Ghostbusters climbed into the iconic hearse and drove to the New York Public Library. It was in this very building that Peter, Ray and Egon had their first true paranormal encounter together. It was that very experience that motivated the three scientists into found the Ghostbusters and continuing their research outside of the university.

Winston drove with Egon riding shotgun. Ray and Peter were in the back together.

"If it's not the Gray Lady," Winston questioned curiously. "or even Shandor then what do you think it could be?"

"Not sure." Ray replied from behind Egon. "It could be a residual haunting that escaped our attention during our last bust, or it could be something new."

"New?" Winston didn't like the sound of that.

Egon couldn't help but glance back at Peter when he spoke. "Death is a daily occurrence. And lot of people have strong connections to this building."

Pulling up in front of the library the car came to a stop and the four Ghostbusters exited the vehicle in their usual style, with the exception of Peter. Rather than climbing out and brandishing his famous ego to any and all passing bystanders Peter ended up leaning heavily against the side of the car as the pain in his side intensified with a strong burning cramp.

"Peter?" Ray put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "You going to make it? Want to stay in the car?"

"No, I'm okay." Peter lied as he wiped the sweat from his brow with his jumpsuit sleeve.

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

Egon had been watching Peter closely and knew that he was in terrible pain. "Ray you take the lead." Egon instructed as Winston aided him in getting his pack strapped onto his back. "Winston stick with Ray, I'll go with Peter."

"What's your plan Egon?" Winston asked as he slipped on his own pack with Egon's help. "Split up; one team checks the top floors and the other checks out the basement?"

"That's about it."

Ray liked the idea and agreed to it happily. "Sounds good. We'll head the top floor and work our way back down. Let's meet up in the lobby."

"Right." Egon put his hand on Peter's shoulder. "Come on Peter. No pack for you."

"Egon I can carry-"

"You can barely carry your own weight, let alone an additional sixty pounds of equipment."

Peter momentarily didn't have anything to say. "Well I always hated hefting those things around anyway."

"Come on." Ray adjusted the pack on his back with Winston's help. "By splitting up we should get this place cleaned out in record time."

"Don't count on it..." Peter grimaced as he trudged along behind Ray and Winston.

Egon kept pace just behind Peter, ready to react in the event that Peter became nauseous again or lost his balance while walking.

The quiet interior of the library was of pure white and stone. The shining marble floor glistened in the afternoon light as the sun beams shone through the narrow windows. The entirety of the building had been evacuated after the paranormal disturbance had been reported, leaving the entire structure feeling empty and abandoned.

Ray motioned for the staircase and began walking up to the next level with Winston at his side. Clicking on his walkie-talkie attached to the shoulder strap on his pack Ray tested the reception. "Can you hear me?"

Egon clicked on his own walkie-talkie and heard Ray loud and clear. "You're good."

"We'll check upstairs and make a sweep of all the rooms. We'll meet back here when we're finished."

"No problem." Peter muttered as he struggled to keep himself standing upright.

Without missing his cue Egon approached Peter and kept a hand on his shoulder. "Peter, I think we should go ahead with that doctor's appointment."

"I'm beginning to think the same thing..."

"Come on. Ray and I made our way through the basement with Hoss a few months ago. I know the way."

"Hoss... The new guy." Peter remembered the natural born Ghostbuster who was a brief fifth member of the team. "Lucky bastard got to open up shop in Chicago."

"This way." Egon lightly pushed Peter in the correct direction. "Don't exert yourself."

"Too late." Peter leaned against the nearby wall and rested briefly.

Egon was about to contact Ray on the walkie-talkie when the PKE meter attached to his belt began to screech.

"Oh... that was easy." Peter recognized the screeching sound and knew that there was ghost in the area.

"Stay here." Egon instructed warily. "It's in the next room. I'll be back."

"Take your time. I'll be here."

Egon used the meter to guide himself to the location of the offending spectral anomaly in the connected room. Walking to the corridor on the first floor that lead into the large study hall of the library Egon carefully pushed open the door and looked about the room with a keen glance. His hand reached is walkie-talkie and the device crackled to life. "Ray, I think I found it. It's on the first floor in the main study."

' _Already_?' Ray sounded excited if not surprised as he replied over the small speaker of the walkie-talkie. ' _Okay, we'll head back your way, don't lose it_!'

Powering on his pack Egon slid the trap connected to his belt across the floor and toward the center of the room. The PKE meter screeched loudly and the needle peaked on the display.

"You're close..." Egon remarked as he kept vigil for any sign of disturbances. "Looks like a Class-6 entity. Where is it?"

A powerful burst of energy erupted from the far wall as a massive figure emerged in a puddle of ectoplasm. The blue tinted ghost appeared to be that of a man garbed in a prison jumpsuit with bolts of electricity coursing over its form. What should have been a human's face was a blank skull complete with black hollow eyes.

Without a word Egon shot a proton stream at the ghost and managed to lasso it around its upper body.

The ghost was as angry as it was strong. With little effort it was able to break free of the stream which caused a massive backlash in energy that made Egon stumble backward. Before the physicist had a chance to recompose himself and find his footing the ghost sent out a powerful wave of energy that sent him flying through the air.

The sound of a desk breaking as Egon's body collided with the large piece of furniture echoed through the room.

' _Egon_?' Ray's voice returned over the walkie-talkie. ' _Everything okay_? _Egon_? _Egon_! _Peter_! _Come in_!'

Barely conscious Egon laid on his chest and looked up through his crooked glasses as the ghost approached him with purpose.

"Oh, sh-"

A proton stream erupted from just beside Egon and held the ghost at bay. The ghost roared and struggled but the closer proximity to the stream gave it boost in strength that the ghost could not escape.

"Where did..."

"I got it Spenz!" Peter announced boldly as he unfastened the pack from Egon's waist with one hand and continued to hold the ghost back with his other hand still on the proton wand. "He's mine..."

"Peter!" Egon tried to get up but found he couldn't move. Looking down at his legs he discovered that he had been pinned down by the very desk he had crashed through courtesy of the ghost.

The ghost continued to fight back against the stream, pulling and dragging Peter across the floor as it tried to break itself free of the confining beam.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" Egon reached down toward his legs and began lifting the heavy pieces of desk and debris that held him down.

"T-trying!" Peter was very weak and in undeniable pain. He fell to one knee but never lost his old on the ghost. Gritting his teeth he refused to lose control over the situation. "Need... a little help... is all."

Just as Peter was about to lose the battle through sheer exhaustion two other proton streams from across the room joined in on the struggle, keeping the ghost held tightly in midair.

"Ray! Winston!" Egon called out as relief washed over him. "The trap is already set! Help Peter guide it down!"

Peter's arms drooped as he began to lose consciousness, he was sweating profusely and his eyes glazed over. No longer able to fight back against the overwhelming fatigue that had wracked his body all day he closed his eyes and fell to his left side, the proton stream shutting off and the pack itself powering down.

"Peter..." Egon managed to finally free his legs from the debris. Crawling over to his now unconscious friend who was laying on his side Egon pressed his fingers to Peter's neck to check for a pulse as he watched Ray and Winston wrangle the ghost into the trap at the center of the room. "Take it down, we need to get Peter to a hospital!"

At those words Ray and Winston boosted the power of their proton packs and moved in on the ghost. Standing opposite one another with the ghost in the center of the dual beams the two Ghostbusters were able to lower the ghost down further and further until it was hovering just a few feet above the trap. Winston spotted the activation button for the trap laying on the floor just a few inches away from where he was standing. Stomping down on the button the trap opened with a brilliant burst of light and protonic energy that pulled the ghost down and sealed it away in a bright flash.

"Got it!" Winston declared as he and Ray turned off their packs simultaneously.

Ray rushed over to Peter and Egon while Winston claimed the smoking trap. "What happened? Did the ghost attack him?"

"No, he's burning up." Egon replied as he carefully rolled Peter from his side and onto his back. Unzipping the top of Peter's jumpsuit down to his waist it was clear to see that Peter had sweat clean through his shirt and was suffering from a high grade fever. "He needs medical attention now."

Winston kneeled down beside Peter. "What's wrong with him? I thought he just had a bad cold."

Egon shook his head. "No." Pressing his hand lightly against Peter's abdomen in the lower right quadrant Egon's suspicions were all but confirmed when Peter managed to flinch in pain despite being unconscious. "I think he's suffering from appendicitis."

Ray's face went as pale as Peter's upon hearing the probable diagnosis. "That can kill him!"

Winston didn't hesitate as he slipped one arm under Peter's shoulders. "Let's get him out of here!"

"Right." Egon tried to assist in lifting Peter up but a sharp pain in his leg stopped him before he could even stand up. "Ray..."

Ray moved to where Egon had been kneeling down and helped Winston to lift Peter up. Throwing the sick man's arms over their shoulders Ray and Winston worked together to carry him out of the library and toward the parked car outside.

Egon grabbed onto his dropped proton pack before he limped out behind his colleagues doing his best to push through the pain in his leg. Looking down he saw that there was a large piece of splintered wood sticking out of the side of his left thigh. No doubt a resulting injury from having been hurtled through the desk by the ghost. "Damn it."

Outside the library Ray and Winston carefully laid Peter down in the back of Ecto-1 and placed their own proton packs back into their storage compartments. Egon trailed along and climbed with some difficult into the back alongside Peter.

"You got him?" Ray asked before he shut the door for the rear compartment.

"Yeah, he's okay." Egon lifted Peter's arm and kept his fingers pressed against his pulse. "Let's get going." The rear door slammed shut as Ray and Winston climbed back into the front. Lifting Peter's head up from the floor Egon let him rest against his right leg, away from his still bleeding wound. "Why didn't you tell us you were so sick? You're too contumacious for your own good."

Ecto-1 took off down the street with the lights and siren blaring. At that moment no one in the car cared about getting paid for the bust, all they cared about was the well being and health of their downed friend.

Winston was driving Ecto-1 while Ray rode shotgun He turned his head to look back at Peter unconscious with Egon. "How's he holding up Spengler?"

"He's hanging in there, but he doesn't have much time. If I'm right his appendix is inflamed to the point of rupture."

Ray let out a heavy sigh as he muttered under that same breath. "Damn it..."

"We're almost there." Winston kept his cool as he drove at a high speed down the street. "Two more blocks."

Egon finally put down Peter's wrist, satisfied that the sick man was stable for the time being.

Ecto-1 slowed as Winston pulled the vehicle into the parking lot of the hospital. The sirens whirred gently into silence and the lights dimmed as the vehicle powered down.

"I'll go get help." Ray decided as he climbed out of the car hastily.

Winston hopped out of the driver's side and opened the door to the rear compartment. Leaning inside he took Peter's arm and did his best to lift the man up into a sitting position without hurting him. "Got him?"

"Yeah." Egon assisted Winston by supporting Peter's back and pushing him forward off of his right leg. Using his right leg as support Egon began moving toward the opened compartment door right behind Peter.

"Easy, I got him." It was only when Egon was sitting on the edge of the opened compartment did Winston noticed the blood on Egon's left leg. "What the hell, you're hurt too?"

"It's just a scratch." Egon insisted as he weakly stood up and did his best to support Peter's dead weight at his side.

Ray had returned to the car with two orderlies who were wheeling a gurney out to the vehicle. "Help's here."

The two orderlies easily lifted Peter up and onto the gurney without causing him any further discomfort or even pain. Egon and Winston watched as the Peter, with Ray walking beside the gurney the entire way, was wheeled inside the hospital where he'd finally receive the proper medical care he so desperately required.

"Come on." Winston put his hand on Egon's shoulder. "We've done all we can do. Waiting is all that's left."

"Yeah, you're right."

"But first," Winston motioned toward Egon's bloodied leg. "you're going to get yourself checked out."

"No, I'm fine." Egon adamant and tried to walk away, only to have his leg buckled under his own weight.

"I gotcha'!" Winston managed to catch him before he fell. "You know, if you don't let a doctor examine your leg then you're being just as stubborn as Peter." He chuckled at his next thought. "The last thing we need is two Peter Venkman's running around."

Egon arched an eyebrow and realized that Winston was in fact correct. "Very well."

Inside the hospital Ray watched as a swarm of doctors and nurses began checking over Peter who was still laying unconscious and prone on the gurney.

"What do we have?" One doctor asked as he flicked a penlight in Peter's eyes.

Ray spoke up on behalf of the other medical staff. "His name is Peter Venkman, _doctor_ Peter Venkman. He's been sick all day with a high fever and pain in his abdomen."

A nurse chimed in as she read the thermometer that had been recently retrieved from Peter's mouth. "Temperature is 103.8."

The doctor quickly examined Peter's abdomen with his hand, watching as Peter winced from the pain, as he ran his stethoscope over Peter's chest. "Call an O.R., we need to get this guy upstairs now. His appendix is hot."

Ray ran a hand through his hair as the very sickness that Egon had suspected had been confirmed. Feeling helpless Ray watched as his friend was wheeled out of sight and down a restricted corridor.

"Sir? You'll have to wait in the waiting room."

"Huh? What?" Ray snapped back to reality when a nurse addressed him softly. "What did you say?"

"You'll have to wait in the waiting room." She pointed him in the proper direction. "Don't worry, we'll take could care of your friend."

"Th-thank you." He stammered nervously.

Winston and Egon made their way into the hospital and found Ray being guided to the waiting room.

"Ray? Where is Peter?" Egon asked curiously.

"They took him upstairs. You were right, Egon. They think he has appendicitis."

Egon closed his eyes and shook his head. "I should've taken him to the hospital sooner. I knew something was wrong."

"It's not your fault Egon." Ray put his hand on Egon's arm sympathetically. "You know Peter, he's too stubborn and proud to admit when he's sick or wounded."

"Speaking of which..." Winston pointed at the blood stain on Egon's leg.

Ray looked to where Winston was pointing and his eyes went wide. "Egon, you're hurt!"

"It's just-"

The nurse who had shown Ray to the waiting room had overheard his reaction. She walked over to the gathered trio and immediately spotted the blood stain as well as the large piece of wooden debris stuck in Egon's thigh.

"Sir, please come with me." The nurse took a hold of Egon's arm and pulled him toward an examination room. "Dr. Wayne will take care of you."

Egon wanted to resist and stay behind with Ray and Winston in the waiting room, but when he saw the smug look in Winston's eyes he knew that he had to submit to the exam for the sake of Peter, and for any potential future injuries that the Ghostbusters could endure while on the job.

 _-Two hours later...-_

Ray and Winston had thumbed through every magazine on the small coffee table in the waiting room. Both men were bored and becoming increasingly impatient with having to sit back and do nothing.

"Any word on Peter?" Egon asked as he limped back to the waiting room. His leg had been bandaged up, the white gauze wraps visible around the wound thanks to the massive hole cut into the fabric of his jumpsuit. "It's been almost two hours."

"Nothing yet." Ray answered dryly. "How's your leg?"

"Sore." Egon admitted as he sat in the chair beside Ray. "A six inch piece of wood embedded two in inched into my upper thigh wasn't nearly as comfortable as I had initially thought." His attempt to joke was much appreciated. "Eight stitches, a dose of antibiotics and some pain killers. Not the way I was expecting to end this day."

Winston tossed aside his magazine as he stood up from his seat. "I'm going to go ask about Peter, I can't take sitting around anymore."

Before Winston even had a chance to take one step away from the waiting room a doctor in blue scrubs approached the trio. "Excuse me, are you here for Dr. Peter Venkman?"

"Yes." Egon replied quickly although he stood up slowly. "What's his current condition?"

"I'm Dr. Robinson. Dr. Venkman is stable. He had been suffering acute appendicitis, but we managed to operate and successfully perform an appendectomy before the organ had a chance to rupture."

Egon sighed with relief. "Can we see him?"

"He's in recovery and is still waking up from the anesthesia, so he'll be groggy. He also still has a fever although it's mild and has continued to decrease steadily since he was admitted." Dr. Robinson extended an arm to motion the three men toward recovery. "You can only stay for a few minutes, but tomorrow I suspect he'll be fully awake."

Following the doctor to the appropriate room the three friends walked inside and paused momentarily as seeing Peter looking so pale, so weak in the bed was a sight to behold. The cardiac monitor was on silent which was a good sign as it meant that he was at low risk for any potential cardiac complications.

"I'll leave you alone." Dr. Robinson whispered as he took his leave.

Egon, Ray and Winston gathered around the bed and stared at Peter, no one knowing what to say if anything at all.

Ray put his hand on Peter's arm and squeezed lightly. "Peter, can you hear me?"

There was a light stirring from the bed as Peter was beginning to come around. "...Ray?" His voice was slurred pathetically.

"Yeah, it's me. How do you feel?"

Peter dismissed the question. "Winston?"

"I'm here too, we're all here." Winston kept his voice low and steady as he spoke.

"Egon?" Peter asked again.

"Yes, I'm here all well."

Peter finally opened his glassy eyes and looked at the three friends who were gathered around his bed. Focusing on Egon Peter swallowed once as he struggled to speak clearly. "You alright?"

"Me?" Egon was genuinely floored by the question. "I'm fine. You're the one who was admitted to the hospital."

"Your leg."

Egon looked down at the white bandages wrapped around his thigh and gave Peter a puzzled look. "It's just a scratch."

"Thrown into a desk." Peter's eyes were fluttering shut again. "You were hurt."

Egon's eyes widened with surprise. "You saw that? But I told you to stay back while I went to investigate."

"Couldn't let you go alone."

The sincerity and unbridled empathy in Peter's voice caught everyone off guard.

"I..." Egon was at a rare loss for words. "Thanks. Thank you for watching my back."

"...Going to stay?" Peter asked sleepily as he failed to keep awake.

"Yeah, we'll stay." Egon gave Winston and Ray a glance to play along. "We're not going anywhere."

"...Good."

Egon watched as Peter's breathing evened out as he fell back asleep. "He's out again."

"You serious about staying here?" Ray asked curiously. "I'm not against it, but I don't think the staff would appreciate us loitering in this room together."

"I'll stay in here for a while, you two go back to the fire house and take care of the ghost. I'll see you in the morning."

"You sure?" Ray didn't want to leave either Peter or Egon behind. "I'm sure if we ask we could stick around for a little while longer."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll call if something changes." Egon insisted that Ray and Winston go and get some rest. "Go on."

"Okay, but call if you need anything." Ray looked back at Winston. "Come on. I bet our pizzas have been waiting for us this whole time."

"Good, I'm starving."

Limping over to the chair beside Peter's bed Egon sat down and let out a long exasperated sigh. He was tired, sore and ready for the events of the strange day to finally, mercifully come to an end. The sun was setting and the night was just beginning.

"Thanks for pulling through Peter. I don't think things would ever be the same without you." Leaning from his chair toward Peter's ear Egon had one last piece of advice to offer. "But from now on, please, just _listen to me_ when you're sick!"

 _ **-The End**_


End file.
